Education

PostdoctoralThe Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania

Ph.D. Georgetown University

Research

Our lab investigates neuronal plasticity that underlies behavioral changes associated
with drug addiction. We use cocaine self-administration in the rat as an animal model
of cocaine use disorder. This model may be used to approximate several prominent features
of human cocaine use, including escalation of drug intake and relapse after drug withdrawal.
We are interested in understanding how these behavioral changes are encoded at the
neuronal activity level. Our previous research has shown that the strength of excitatory
synaptic signaling in the nucleus accumbens depends on duration of withdrawal from
cocaine and availability of endogenous cannabinoids. We have also demonstrated that
cocaine self-administration increases signaling at extrasynaptic NMDA receptors, excitatory
ion channels sensitive to glutamate release from astroglia. We are currently exploring
how glutamate and other neuromodulators released from astroglial cells regulate activity
of single neurons and neuronal networks. For this research, we make extensive use
of single-cell electrophysiology, stereotaxic injections of viral tracers and reporters,
and Ca2+ imaging techniques.

Although our main focus is on drug use disorders, we are broadly interested in neuronal
correlates of behavior. Over the years, we have collaborated with different groups
studying neuronal control of food intake, excitatory/inhibitory balance in schizophrenia,
and, most recently, neuronal plasticity in HIV associated neurological disorders.